Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-28

The Father of His Country
Stands abuYe that shut in SEA
\ shortcuts symbol 10 the world
Of all that's great and free;
And TO day Virginia matches him
and matches MIN with Lee.
Who hall blame tina social order
Which gave us men as great as these?
Who cond mn the soil OF T. forest
Which bring forth gigantic trees:
WIZ p esame to doubt that Providence
Shapes out our destiuies.
Foreordained, and long maturing,
Came the nous en- Of old;
In TIE dark mines deep were driven
Down the shafts to r ach the gold,
And The story is iar logger
Than the histories have told.
From Bacon down to Washington
The generations passed,
Great events and moving causes
Were in serried Order mas ed;
Il rkely well was fret cvnfronted,
Better George The King at last
From the times Of that ern ruler
TO our own familiar days
Long the pathway VIC have trodden,
Harc, ana devious were is ways,
TIL ST last there came the second
Mightier Revolution 3 blaze;
TIL al last there broKe the tempest
Like a cyclone on The ca,
When the iightninss blazed aud daZ1led
AND the thunders were Sc; free
nd riding on that Nhirlwfnd came
NJ jeetic Robert re!
Who--again a. K thC question
Who may challenge in deba.e,
With a"y show of ruthfulness,
Oar former soci st lie
Which brought for h moro than heroes
In their lives Sapremsly great:
Not Peter, the wild CrueGder,
When beat upon his knee,
Not AR hur and his belted knights
In the PoeFs 0ng c0Cld be
Moe q nest than those Southern men
Who followed Robert Lee.
They thought that they were right and this
Was hammere into tn sc
who he'll. that crest al drenched in blood
Where The IS cody Angle" rose.
IA for sill el e? L passes by
As the idle wind that -oTs.
Then stand up OH my countrynen.
And unto God give hanks,
O. mountains ano on hsides
And by sloping river banks
Thank God til t you were worthy
OF the grand Confederate ranks;
That YOU who cane from uplsnds
And from beside the sea,
Filled with love OF Old Virginia
And tn teaching of he free,
May boast In sight of all men
Taat YOU fo]loT wed Robert Lee.
Peace has coma. God give His blessing
Ga the fact and On the namel
The South speaks no invecive
And she writes no word OF blame;
But we call all zen to witness
That We stand up without shame
Nayi Send It forth to all the world
That we stand up here with pride,
With love for our living comrades
And with praise for thoee who died;
And in this ma" ly frame Of mind
Till death Re will abide,
God and ouT consciences alone
Give ne measures OF right and wrong.
The race may fall unto the swift
And the battle to the strong;
But the truth will shine in history
And blossom into song.
Human grief full off by glory
g assuaged and disappears
when It's requiem swells with music
Like the shock of shields and spears,
and It's passion is too full OF pride
To leave space for tears.
And hence to-day, my Countrynen,
We come, with unjimmed eyes,
In homage OF the hero Lee,
The good, the great, the wise
And at his name our hearts will leap
Till his last old soldier dies.
Ask me, If SO Yoa plesse, to paint
Storm winds upon the q;
Tell me to weigh greas Chsops-
Set volcanic forces free;
Bat bid me not, my CountTyme1,
To picture Robert Lee!
AS Saul. bound for Damascus fair,
WAS struck blind by sudden light
ESQ my eyes are panied aod dazzled
BY radiance pure and white
Shot back By the Furnished armor
Or that glory belsed knight.
His was all the Norman's polish
And soDfiety of grace;
All the Gcth's m jestic 6gure;
All the Romans oble face;
And he etood the tall exsmplgr
OF grand historic race.
Baronial vera his acres where
Potomac's wat rs run;
High his lineage, and els blazo
was oy cunning ueratds done;
But better sill he might have said
Or his works" he was Ihe "soa.'
Truth walked beside him always
From his childhood's early yesrs
Honor followed as his shadow ~
Valor hgotened all his cares;
And ne RODE thai grand YirgInian-
Last of all the Cavaliers. St4'
As soldier we all knew him
| Great IN action and rep oes -
saw how his genius kndl.d ..